This story has a lot to say about the attractions of science fiction, and what these attractions might really hide. The protagonist loves to fly, loves airplanes, but the actual reason turns out to be an island he desperately wants to explore, and which is approachable only by an aircraft. Much like this island, the singular obsession with technology for science fiction writers and readers often mask a dissatisfaction with the material self, with the progress of history, with the obviousness of the problems affecting the world and the easy solutions which seem viable if only the powers that be would take note. If that isn't happening, let's turn towards the hard edges of a symbol that is also truth: an aircraft would be a beautiful example. It has no desires; on the contrary, it is desire given form, or it is an attempt at quelling desire. Regardless of whether it actually succeeds in utopian fulfilment, it at any rate redirects an impossible desire towards a more worldly alternative.
